Menjivar came out swinging with overhand rights, only to retreat
when Albert returned fire with a series of hooks; the Dennis
Hallman protégé then stepped in and drove his knee into
Menjivar’s midsection. After a brief tie-up, “The Pride of El
Savador” transitioned from a spinning back fist to a trip takedown.
Albert turned to a triangle choke and caught an omoplata, but
Menjivar stacked him and unleashed half a dozen hammerfists. This
was mixed martial arts at its best.

Albert was not dissuaded. He threw up another triangle choke and
settled for an armbar, only to see the
Tristar Gym export extract himself from danger yet again. A leg
lock battle ensued, with Menjivar clinging to a standing ankle lock
and Albert searching for a heel hook. During a subsequent scramble,
the Montreal-based bantamweight punished a turtling Albert with a
brutish soccer kick to the body. Albert stood soon after and dazed
his adversary with a head kick before swarming in a clear attempt
to become the first man to finish Menjivar in nearly a decade.

“I was in a bad position,” Menjivar admitted. “I wasn’t so much
hurt as I was taking my time to feel the moment. It was dangerous
at the same time, because I feel like the referee was ready to stop
the fight.”

Discretion stayed referee Jim Axtell’s
hand, as he allowed the fight to progress. It was a wonderful
decision on his part. Albert threw the kitchen sink at his
29-year-old counterpart, vicious punches and knees spearheading his
onslaught. Menjiver -- who had not been stopped via strikes since
his ill-fated encounter with a young Georges St.
Pierre in January 2002 -- weathered the attack, wound up in top
position and let fly with some ground-and-pound of his own. Albert
surrendered his back.

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Albert has now lost three straight.

“I think [when I was on] the back, [the] first [thing I wanted to
do] was control position and punch him,” Menjivar said. “Then I
realized his chin was up, his neck was up, so go for the
choke.”

The seasoned and opportunistic Menjivar cinched a deep rear-naked
choke, leaving “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 alum no choice but
to concede defeat. The tapout came 3:45 into round one.

“In my head, I was thinking about [Kazushi] Sakuraba the whole
fight. I was thinking, ‘What he would do in this moment?” Menjivar
said. “I know experience is important, but it’s a fight. He’s
strong, and he’s in the UFC. He’s at that level, and he’s
dangerous. I have experience, but the new guys -- the next
generation -- are really good. I do work hard because they’re
good.”

In just his ninth professional outing, Albert had brought one of
the sport’s pioneers to the brink of defeat. Valuable lessons were
absorbed in the process, painful though it might have been.

“I learned I can compete with the best in the world,” Albert said.
“I learned I still have a lot to improve on as a mixed martial
artist, but I always feel like I have so much to improve on.

“No one is perfect,” he added. “No one is unbeatable. I strive to
just always improve. If I wasn’t always able to better myself, I
think the sport could get boring for me.”

Albert, who pocketed a $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus in bowing
to Jorgensen, will enter his next appearance saddled by three
consecutive defeats. The 26-year-old Reno, Nev., native takes
adversity in stride.

“I fight because I love everything about the sport,” he said. “My
goal is to just do my best and give it my all. If I lose and the
UFC cuts me, that’s just fate. As long as I gave it my all, I’m
happy.

“Life isn’t about winning; it’s about doing your best,” Albert
added. “I gave my best against Menjivar, and I guess the right
people were impressed.”